


The Masks We Wear

by vulcanhighblood



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alpha Hatake Kakashi, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Anbu Yamato | Tenzou, Angst, Dark, Gen, Hatake Kakashi Is Trying, Hatake Kakashi is Bad at Feelings, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mutual Pining, Nesting, Omega Umino Iruka, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Hatake Kakashi, Secret Identity, Slow Burn, Umino Iruka Needs a Hug, Underage and Noncon Not Part of Main Pairing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:40:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27263629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vulcanhighblood/pseuds/vulcanhighblood
Summary: In a Konoha where presenting as an omega means an automatic placement in one of the omega brothels operated by and for the shinobi elite, perhaps it's excusable to hide one's nature from the world at large.  At least, that's what the ANBU Hound tells himself when he stumbles across a young omega about to experience his first heat.Perhaps, if they're both very lucky, no one will ever have to know the truth, and life will proceed as normal.But when was Kakashi ever that lucky?
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 27
Kudos: 176





	The Masks We Wear

**Author's Note:**

> As implied by the summary, this is a pretty dark AU!!
> 
> A few things to note - while there is underage and noncon mentioned in this fic, I have no intent for those things to occur between the main couple in this story. That said, it's still a significant part of this AU, and there will be mentions of underage and rape, probably a LOT of mentions. If that's something you're not comfortable reading, I don't think this is the fic for you.

It took Iruka far too long to figure out what was happening. In his defense, he really did think he was a beta - after all, most of his friends’ presentations had already come and gone, and there had been almost a year between the last of his friends’ presentations and now. So when Iruka woke up feeling groggy, jittery, and slightly warm, he assumed he was coming down with a cold. He sent word to his Jonin-sensei that he was sick, donned a mask so as not to spread it around, and headed into the market to pick up some cold medicine and maybe something to eat. He usually subsisted on cup noodles (unless his sensei was being particularly forceful about vegetables), but if he was getting sick it might be a good idea to get some okayu or something. He hadn’t really been nursed back to health since his parents… well. It had been four years now, and Iruka was pretty used to treating himself for whatever ailed him. 

He’d almost made it back to his tiny apartment when the first wave of cramps hit. He hadn’t been expecting his symptoms to get worse, and certainly not so _quickly._ Ducking into the nearest alley, Iruka had curled up into a ball, his bag of shopping dropped beside him as he focused on breathing. What the hell _was_ this, food poisoning? It was a good thing he’d gotten okayu, he might not be able to stomach anything else. 

It took him a few minutes of shallow breathing to realize that the cramps weren’t really in his stomach, but more of his abdomen and… lower. And his pants were starting to feel wet inside, and he _really_ hoped he hadn’t accidentally had a bowel movement - though that wasn’t outside the realm of possibility with a nasty case of food poisoning. Grimacing, Iruka staggered to his feet, trying to ignore the pulsing, sticky sensation in his pants. He was probably going to need to put these clothes directly in the trash, he couldn’t bear the idea of trying to wash _food poisoning-induced shits_ out of them. At least it wasn’t his favorite pair of pants, he could probably do without these without missing them too much. 

Iruka made it two more steps before his knees tried to buckle under him and he ended up ramming his shoulder up against the dirty wall of the alley in order to keep himself upright. What was _wrong_ with him? He’d only eaten cup noodles yesterday, how had he gotten food poisoning this bad? 

The soft sound of movement behind Iruka alerted him to the presence of another individual in the alley. The lack of smell meant it was someone who was able to fully suppress their scent. The quiet steps meant that it was someone who _could_ move silently, but was intentionally choosing to be heard as they moved closer. “Hey kid,” came a soft, somewhat muffled voice, “You alright?”

Iruka grimaced, turning to answer whoever had snuck up behind him, and froze. There, in the middle of the alley, stood the imposing figure of a Konoha ANBU. 

“I… I think I have food poisoning?” Iruka answered, finally finding his tongue. “I feel gross, my stomach hurts, and I… I think I…” He glanced down, feeling his face heat, “um. You know. In my pants.”

The ANBU tilted his head, the simple white mask catching the dim light that filtered into the small alley, making it gleam in a way that felt almost predatory. “It’s not food poisoning,” the ANBU informed him in a matter-of-fact tone. “You’re going into heat.”

Iruka blinked. Not possible. “But I’m a beta.”

The ANBU tilted his head the other way, considering Iruka for a long moment before finally responding. “Your scent would say otherwise.”

“But I _can’t_ be an omega,” Iruka protested, his heart rate spiking at the idea. He was alone. In an alley. With an ANBU. In _heat._ He knew what the expectations were, what the village asked of its unmated omegas. What this ANBU probably wanted from him. Why the ANBU had followed him into this dark alley. “I can’t be,” he repeated. He wanted to run. He wanted to hide. He could barely hold himself upright while leaning against the alley wall. He wasn’t going to be able to run anywhere.

“Denying it won’t change things,” the ANBU said sharply. “You’re going into heat. What are you going to do? Is your home nearby?”

Iruka shut his eyes, fighting back the sudden terror that gripped him. He was only fourteen, he wasn’t ready to be a, a _stimulus,_ a whore that the village sold off to the highest bidder or the most _effective_ shinobi of the week. He knew what happened to omegas in the village, where they went once they presented. He wanted to go _home,_ not get sent to some shinobi _brothel_ where he’d be put on heavy suppressants to prevent pregnancy and keep him submissive while being mounted by alphas who thought they were owed a piece of his body because the Hokage led them to believe they could somehow _earn_ the right to take him without his consent. 

It was commonly accepted that any alpha who _“discovered”_ an unmated, presented omega was well within their rights to lay the first claim. But no single alpha in the village was allowed to _keep_ the omega. They were a precious commodity, a token of approval that was shared at the discretion of their benevolent Hokage and not to be hoarded or selfishly hidden away. Iruka felt himself begin shaking as his whole future swam before his eyes, falling apart in an instant. He’d never be allowed to continue like this, no one would let an _omega_ work as a Genin, or test for Chunin, or go on missions, or _anything._ His life was over! He was nothing more than cattle now, and this ANBU, the one who had discovered him, had first rights to his body, to teach him, _carnally,_ that his body was no longer his own. 

He heard the ANBU take another soft footstep, bringing the imposing figure _that much closer,_ and Iruka was unable to muffle the sob that escaped his lips. “Please,” he said, not even sure why he bothered to beg, as he doubted it would do any good. “Make it fast?”

The ANBU sighed heavily. “Is your home near here?” he asked again, a hint of a growl in his tone. He was still suppressing his scent to the point that Iruka genuinely couldn’t tell if he was an alpha or not, but the growl sounded pretty _alpha-y,_ and it hit him hard.

“Yes,” Iruka squeaked, hating the way the growl made him want to do _anything and everything_ this ANBU demanded of him, “Just two blocks.” 

“Which way?” the ANBU insisted.

Iruka wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or terrified - on the one hand, he’d been half-convinced the ANBU would take him right there in the alley. On the other hand, if the ANBU took him in his home, he’d never feel safe there again. But that was stupid. After today, Iruka was never going to be allowed back in his home again, so what did it matter if he felt unsafe there? Lifting a trembling hand, Iruka pointed in the direction of his apartment. “White building, green doors, room four-oh-one,” he said. 

Before he had the chance to say more, the man’s arms were closing around him, lifting him up from the ground and holding him tight against his chest.

Iruka wanted to scream, to tell the man to _put him down_ and _stop_ but… he was solid and _real_ and… and there was something about it that felt comforting to him. When was the last time he’d been held by someone? Four years, he thought miserably. Even though he dreaded what was coming next, he’d missed the feeling of solid arms holding him tight, the gentle _thump-thump_ of a heartbeat in his ear as he pressed his face tight against the broad chest of the man cradling him in his arms. 

The ANBU moved like Iruka weighed nothing to him, flickering through the air before landing at Iruka’s door in a matter of seconds. “Unlock the wards,” the ANBU said, “Or I’ll break them.”

Iruka nodded, what was the point of resisting? He was going to be in a brothel by tonight anyway, who cared what happened anymore? Wriggling out of the ANBU’s grasp, Iruka gasped as his knees nearly buckled when his feet hit the ground. The ANBU’s arm snaked around his waist, holding Iruka up as he focused on the door, unlocking the sealing chakra he’d set into it. The ANBU shoved his way in a moment later, dragging Iruka with him. Slamming the door shut and flooding the wards Iruka had designed for the lock with his own chakra, the ANBU sealed them both inside Iruka’s tiny one-room apartment.

After removing his sandals at the door, the ANBU glided across the room and set Iruka’s shopping bag down on the table. When had he picked up Iruka’s shopping bag? Everything felt like a blur to Iruka, he was so confused and terrified and he didn’t want this to happen but he _knew_ it would and he knew there was no way to stop it. 

Slowly, cautiously, Iruka slipped off his own shoes, stepping inside, plucking at his threadbare shirt anxiously as he leaned heavily against the wall. It was still hard to stand, and he was so worried about what he was supposed to do now. Should he undress, or did the ANBU want to do that himself? Should he lay on the bed, or stand and wait for orders? Everything was so confusing, he felt awful, his body still ached like he was sick and now his stomach was churning like he really _did_ have food poisoning but it was probably just nerves? Which made sense, because there was an ANBU in his home and he was so, _so_ afraid. He just wanted it to be over and done, his life was ruined anyway, so why wait?

The ANBU was carefully unpacking the bag, eyeing the cold medicine and setting it aside, inspecting the four bags of pre-packaged okayu and sighing before setting them down too. “Do you have food?” he asked brusquely. 

Iruka blinked. “I have cup noodles?” Was he expected to _feed_ the man before allowing his body to be ravaged? He knew that omegas were required to submit to alphas for _sexual_ purposes, but he didn’t think that extended to things like _feeding them snacks._

“That’s not enough,” the ANBU muttered, “don’t you have any vegetables? Anything with protein?”

“Well I’m _sorry,_ ANBU-san, I wasn’t exactly expecting _company_ today, I thought I had _food poisoning,”_ Iruka snapped, suddenly exasperated. The man had come into _Iruka’s_ home, rummaged through _Iruka’s_ kitchen, was planning to avail himself to _Iruka’s_ body, and he had the audacity to complain about a lack of _vegetables?!_ The nerve!

The ANBU paused at the table, turning to look at Iruka, the cold expressionless mask suddenly feeling infinitely more threatening than it had moments before. Iruka felt his heart sink to somewhere behind his navel. Why had he said that? He wanted this misery to be over as quickly as possible _,_ and antagonizing the man who was about to take his virginity was no way to ensure that he would get through this the easy way!

“Right,” the ANBU said then, “It’s your first heat.”

Iruka nodded, trying not to look as miserable as he felt and likely failing.

“Look, you’re not going to get through this on instant noodles and a few servings of okayu,” the ANBU said irritably. “Sit tight, I’ll be back in five minutes.”

Iruka frowned. “Where are you going?”

The ANBU turned to fully face him, now sounding truly exasperated. “To buy you some real food,” he snapped. “Where _else_ would I go?” He sniffed the air and visibly tensed. “Do you have a scent blocker? If I go out like this I’ll smell like _pre-heat.”_

Iruka bit his lip. “I don’t, I thought I was a beta,” he said quietly, though it was a flimsy excuse. Even betas would use scent blockers on some missions to conceal their presence entirely. The truth was that Iruka couldn’t _afford_ blockers.

The ANBU sighed. “Fine. Where’s your shower?”

Iruka felt his stomach lurch, pointing a trembling finger. “Uh, it’s. Door. The second-”

The ANBU breezed past him, walking into Iruka’s bathroom without so much as a _by-your-leave._ A moment later Iruka heard his shower running. What the hell? Why was the ANBU doing this? Was he trying to delay the inevitable to torment Iruka? Or maybe he was waiting until Iruka was in full heat and completely helpless? Iruka already felt completely helpless, he didn’t think an extra hour or two would really make that much of a difference. Slowly, Iruka allowed himself to slide down the wall until he was curled up in a ball again. He just wanted this to end. It didn’t feel real, it felt like a nightmare. Maybe he was about to wake up any minute? 

Before he could manage to convince himself that none of this was really happening, his shower shut off and the ANBU strode back into the room less than a minute later, his white hair significantly flattened, uniform occasionally dripping excess water onto Iruka’s floor. “Try not to let any of your scent escape,” he said sharply, once more moving for the door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Iruka didn’t know how the hell he was supposed to be preventing his _scent_ from escaping, but he nodded miserably.

The ANBU slipped out, and Iruka felt his wards flare up again, this time from the outside. He was locked in by the ANBU’s chakra, and for the first time since he’d learned he was an omega, Iruka was alone. He wished he had the strength to _do_ something - maybe run away, plan a daring show of resistance, or take drastic action! Instead, he tucked his face into his knees and wept bitterly for everything he’d lost and was about to lose.

* * *

True to his word, Kakashi was back in exactly five minutes, stepping back into the small Genin omega’s apartment before drawing up short at the thick, roiling cloud of _misery_ filling the air. The kid was curled up in the exact same corner where Kakashi had left him, bawling his eyes out. 

And why wouldn’t he? If Kakashi were in his position, would he be taking the news any better? Well. Kakashi probably would have, but only because Kakashi was used to being dealt the short end of the stick in life. Still. Presenting as an omega was pretty much the worst possible scenario he could imagine, so he didn’t begrudge the kid his tears. 

He also had absolutely no idea how to talk to a kid that was crying, though, so he ignored the ball of misery in the corner that was smelling more and more like _omega in heat_ and less like a beta with every passing minute. Kakashi managed to shove the food he’d bought into the kid’s tiny fridge, and stared down at the heat suppressants he’d picked up from his own apartment. He had a small stash of them that he’d secretly bought while outside the village on a mission. Originally, he’d picked them up for his kohai, a pseudo-omega who sometimes went through half-heats as a result of the genetic experimentation he’d undergone as a child. These particular drugs weren’t super strong, but they’d be enough to keep this kid safe from heat triggers or an alpha in rut. They wouldn’t do any good _now,_ obviously, but if the kid wanted to keep his secret he’d need a way to control his heats, and his kohai seemed to think these worked well, so hopefully they’d be enough for this kid, too.

Speaking of the kid, he was still whimpering in the corner, and Kakashi was starting to feel sort of guilty about that. “Hey kid,” he said awkwardly, “you hungry?”

Shaking his head, the kid just curled in on himself even more, a fresh bloom of _abject misery_ wafting off him like he was some sort of incense diffuser. Damn, trying to keep his omega status a secret was going to be real hard if he always gave off this much scent. 

“You should eat something,” Kakashi insisted. He didn’t know much about heats beyond the ones he’d helped his kohai through, but he knew that staying fed and hydrated was essential to the comfort of the omega (or pseudo-omega, as the case may be). 

“I’m not hungry,” the kid said stubbornly, sniffling and swiping at his nose, catching a thick string of snot and smearing it all along his forearm. Gross. Had Kakashi ever been that disgusting as a kid? He hoped not. 

“I won’t ask again,” Kakashi threatened, which was apparently the wrong tactic because the kid glanced up at him in _fury._

“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do if I don’t? Rape me?”

In that instant, two details that he hadn’t connected before clicked into place in Kakashi’s mind. This was the kid’s first heat, his first presentation. And Kakashi was a high-caliber ANBU who had been the first to discover the kid’s omega status. No wonder he was so upset! 

“Shit,” Kakashi said, scrubbing at his still-damp hair and blinking down at the kid. “No, I’m not. Not at all.” 

The kid shot him a look that seemed to accuse Kakashi of thinking him incredibly stupid. “I know what happens when you present as an omega,” the kid growled. “My friend presented in front of her Jonin-sensei.” 

Kakashi swallowed hard. _Oh no. He couldn’t mean…_ He didn’t have to ask. The look of horror on the poor boy’s face said it all. 

“He told her it was normal, that it’s the rule,” the kid was babbling now, hands gripping the hem of his shirt and twisting it as he continued. “They took her to the, you know.”

Kakashi wasn’t sure he did know, and absolutely wasn’t interested in knowing, but he nodded anyway as the kid kept talking. 

“Anyway, it was the same night, so. I went to see her, I was worried…” He stopped twisting his shirt hem and covered his mouth with the other, not-snotty hand, muffling a small sob, his eyes squeezing shut at the force of the memory he was recalling. “…the point is, I know what happens to omegas in Konoha. What we’re _for,”_ he snarled, once more growing angry, his dark eyes boring into Kakashi as he lifted his gaze to stare defiantly at the ANBU before him. “Don’t lie to me. Just get it over with.” 

Kakashi sighed, realizing he‘d definitely made a mistake here. In his defense, omegas were pretty rare and he hadn’t expected this kid to _already know_ what to expect after presenting. He felt a bit worse about his abrupt behavior, now. The kid had been expecting to be assaulted at any moment, of _course_ he’d been miserable! 

Crouching, Kakashi observed the kid, who was now staring at him with wide, nervous eyes. “I’m not interested in that,” Kakashi said.

The kid frowned at him. “I don’t believe you,” he said, voice shaking slightly.

“You don’t have to,” Kakashi replied, “But it’ll make the rest of this conversation go a lot smoother if you do.”

Blinking rapidly, the kid cocked his head slightly, scratching absently at the scar that bisected his face. “What conversation?”

Kakashi moved back to the table where he’d unloaded the groceries, picking up a spray can and tossing it in the direction of the kid, who managed to catch it, glancing down at the label before looking back up at Kakashi in confusion. 

“Scent blocker,” Kakashi explained. “You don’t seem very practiced in controlling your scent, so until you’ve gained enough chakra control to maintain something more neutral, use that, especially around the scent glands on your neck, armpits, groin, and wrists.”

The kid glanced down at the can once more. “Why are you giving me this?” he asked, frowning and looking back up at Kakashi, who took the opportunity to throw the bottle of suppressants at him, too.

“You’ll need to take those every day,” Kakashi said, recalling the instructions the shop clerk had discretely given him, which he’d already passed on to Tenzou. “From what I understand, you still need to go off them for the occasional heat, but they’ll keep you from starting without warning and protect you from accidentally going into heat around rutting alphas or heat-triggers.”

The kid was practically scowling now, glancing between the bottles and Kakashi. His eyes drifted back to the bottles, back to Kakashi, the bottles, Kakashi… this repeated several more times before he finally demanded, “What is this?”

Kakashi shrugged. “I got the impression you wanted to stay a beta. Am I wrong?”

The kid blinked hard, then blinked again twice more, his eyes growing wet as he stared up at Kakashi. “You… you mean you’re not going to tell anyone?” he asked, his voice almost breaking. 

“Not unless you _want_ me to tell someone,” Kakashi answered honestly. “But seriously kid, you stink. Use the blockers, _now._ You don’t want this whole apartment to end up smelling like omega or people will get suspicious.”

The kid glanced down at the scent-block spray in his hands. “What about the suppressants?” he asked, lifting the bottle.

“Your heat’s already started,” Kakashi told him, not quite sure how _he,_ of all people, had ended up giving a new omega _‘the talk’,_ but at least it was better than seeing the poor kid dragged kicking and screaming into the pleasure district. “If you tried to use them now, it would just screw with your hormones and probably wouldn’t even be enough to stop the heat. Just let the heat run its course, you’ll be fine in a few days. You already thought it was just food poisoning, so that's the excuse to fall back on when people ask where you were.”

The kid nodded slowly, turning the bottle of suppressants in his hands. “So how often am I supposed to go off these things for my heat?” he asked.

“Technically I think you’re not supposed to wait more than a year,” Kakashi answered. “Though most omegas try for one every three-to-four months. It’s supposedly easier on the body.”

Nodding, the kid tucked the pills into one of his pockets before tilting his head to the side, giving Kakashi an eyeful of his bare, unmarked throat as he sprayed himself with the scent blocker. Rolling his eyes, Kakashi turned his head to give the kid a bit of privacy. A little warning would have been nice, he thought irritably. He hadn’t really had _a hormonal teenage omega displaying his scent glands_ on his list of things he wanted to see today. At least the kid hadn’t started with the glands near his _groin._

* * *

Iruka kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it didn’t. The ANBU gave him scent blocker, suppressants, turned his head and politely waited for Iruka to finish applying the scent block before saying, _again,_ “You should eat something.”

This time Iruka almost laughed, still giddy with relief. “I guess I could eat.”

The ANBU seemed to relax minutely at Iruka’s willingness to eat this time around, tapping something that he’d set on Iruka’s table. “I brought a bento. Eat it.”

Iruka rolled his eyes at this ANBU’s mothering. “Fine,” he grumbled, moving to stand, belatedly remembering that his knees weren’t doing so great at the moment. He stumbled, nearly face-planting, except the ANBU got there too fast for that, catching him before he could fall very far. Iruka gripped the man’s arms tight, inhaling sharply. He couldn’t smell anything at all from the ANBU, and some part of him didn’t like that. He sniffed again, but still couldn’t catch anything. The third time he inhaled deeply, the ANBU stiffly pushed him back. 

“I think that’s probably enough,” he said, his voice tinged with a blend of amusement and discomfort. “You’re not going to be able to scent me like this, so there’s no point in trying.”

Iruka blinked. Scent him? He felt his face begin to burn as he realized with horror that the ANBU was right - he’d absolutely been trying to scent the man. Why?! Just because he was kind, and Iruka felt safe around him? Surely that wasn’t a good enough reason to want to scent someone, right? Or maybe his heat was just making him feel more sentimental than usual? He didn’t _usually_ scent people besides his closest friends, and he’d barely known this ANBU for thirty minutes now. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, wishing he could disappear or sink into the floorboards. “I don’t know why I did that.”

The ANBU patted him on the head, ruffling his hair. Iruka wasn’t sure how he felt about that - on the one hand, it felt somewhat demeaning. On the other hand, it felt almost like a familial gesture, and Iruka hadn’t really experienced anything like it for quite some time. He caught himself trying to scent the ANBU again and mentally slapped himself. Just because the elite ninja didn’t want to _bed_ him didn’t mean he wanted _another_ form of relationship. Why was he acting so needy?

“Here,” the ANBU said, shoving the bento under Iruka’s nose. “Eat. I’ll go get your nest started.”

Iruka blinked twice. Nest? He stared at the ANBU. Why would he want a _nest?_

_“Eat,”_ the ANBU repeated in a low growl, pushing Iruka into the chair and handing him a pair of disposable chopsticks that must have come with the bento.

Iruka took the chopsticks and glanced down at the bento. It looked pretty good. He tried a bite. Oh. It was _really_ good, actually. 

A minute later, he heard cursing coming from the middle of the room, and he glanced over to see the ANBU, hands on his hips, staring into Iruka’s mostly-empty closet. “Don’t you have any extra blankets or pillows?” the man demanded, turning to stare at Iruka through the fathomless eyes of his white-and-crimson mask.

“Uh,” Iruka shrugged. “I have an extra blanket for the winter?”

The ANBU sighed. “I guess I’ll have to grab some of those when I’m out, then.” 

Iruka frowned, confused. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t have any heat aids or nesting materials,” the ANBU explained, lifting a finger to demonstrate each item Iruka was apparently lacking, “You’re going to need some painkillers for the cramps, and the ones in your first aid kit are expired.” He kept counting on his fingers as he continued, “Do you have the names of a few pack-friends for me so I can steal a small item of clothing from them?”

“Why are you stealing from my friends?!” Iruka yelped, setting the chopsticks down.

“Keep eating!” the ANBU chided before explaining, “You can’t exactly tell them you want their things for your nest, can you?”

“What _nest?”_ Iruka demanded. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about!”

The ANBU tilted his head slightly. “I thought… don’t you have a nesting instinct? I thought that was pretty ubiquitous among omega heats.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Iruka said, “but right now all I feel is dizzy, and kind of sick to my stomach, and my whole body aches.”

“Huh,” the ANBU said thoughtfully. “Well. The omegas I’ve known all nested, so I just assumed…”

“You know more than one omega?” Iruka asked, surprised, before realizing the ANBU probably wasn’t allowed to give him more information than that for _multiple_ reasons.

“I do,” the ANBU confirmed, and said nothing more on the matter. “I’m going to head out and pick up those supplies. Do you need anything else while I’m out?”

Iruka shook his head slowly, poking at the bento a bit more. “I’m fine,” he said, still reeling a bit from the whiplash of emotion he’d gone through in the last thirty minutes. “Thanks?”

“Right,” the ANBU said absently, demonstrating that he was apparently as bad at receiving gratitude as Iruka was at showing it. “I’ll be back in ten minutes - the names of your friends?”

“Hagane Kotetsu,” Iruka said, “Kamizuki Izumo. Sora Mizuki. And -” he couldn’t help the catch in his voice before he added, “Mitarashi Anko.”

The ANBU nodded once, then moved for the door before sniffing himself once more and sighing, stretching out a hand. “Hey. Hand me that scent block.”

Iruka dug into his pocket and pulled it out, handing the spray can to the ANBU, who liberally doused his entire body with it. He frowned. “Isn’t that a little wasteful?” he asked. “I thought you’re supposed to only spray it over the scent points?”

“I’m not giving off any scent,” the ANBU said, handing the aerosol spray back to Iruka as he continued, “I’m trying to neutralize _yours,_ which is all over my clothes.” 

“I already used the scent block, though!” Iruka protested.

“Yes, but your scent is still in the room,” the ANBU replied exasperatedly, “and still on _your_ clothes, too. Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Iruka nodded, huffing in irritation. Maybe he should shower and change his clothes so the ANBU would stop whining every time he was in Iruka’s apartment. He frowned at that, staring down at the bento. Why did he care if the ANBU felt more comfortable in his apartment? It had to be more stupid omega stuff, like whatever the _nest_ thing was. Iruka hoped it went away when his heat was over, this all seemed like way more trouble than it was worth.

* * *

It didn’t take Kakashi long to gather the supplies he needed and head back, but by the time he returned, the kid was already getting antsy. 

“Something’s wrong,” the kid said, poking his futon with his toe and scowling at it. He wobbled a little, still unsteady on his feet. The first wave of pre-heat seemed to have passed, at least, and Kakashi intended to be _long gone_ by the time the first wave of this kid’s _actual_ heat started. 

“Allow me,” Kakashi said, dumping a pile of pillows and blankets atop the kid’s threadbare futon.

The kid blinked down at the pile for several seconds before crouching down and digging through the pile, scooting the blankets and pillows around at what seemed like random. He kept going for several minutes before finally stepping back and nodding to himself. “That’s better.”

“You might want to add these to your nest,” Kakashi added, holding out some small articles of clothing. The only one of the kids’ friends that had been difficult to locate was the girl, since she was tucked away in a run-down omega brothel located near the seedy part of the red-light district. Still, Kakashi was an elite shinobi, and it wasn’t much trouble to find something of hers and make off with it. He felt bad taking something when he could clearly see she had few worldly possessions afforded to her, so he’d left behind something in its stead. He hoped that was good enough. 

The kid grabbed the clothes, burying his nose in them for an instant before pulling his face back, flushing all the way to his roots as he realized he’d just scented them in front of Kakashi. Kakashi wasn’t about to call him on it, though, the kid was going into heat for the first time, of course he wanted his pack scent around him. It would have been weirder if the kid _hadn’t_ scented the clothes.

“Right,” the kid said, gesturing awkwardly, “I’ll just…” he crouched down by his nest, tucking the clothes into strategic spots that made no logistical sense to Kakashi, but then he wasn’t an omega. He was sure there was some reason for the location, but it all rode on instinct and Kakashi had no idea what the criteria for ‘scent-bearing clothing location’ was. He didn’t even know how to make a nest, he just knew what his kohai always demanded that Kakashi bring him. It seemed to be working, though, since the kid had not only apparently arranged the clothes just right, he’d also gone and curled up in the nest. 

“You good, kid?” Kakashi asked awkwardly. “There’s painkillers and heat aids over on the table when you need them.” 

The kid made a face, but his reactions seemed to have mellowed out since he’d clambered into his nest. “Thanks.”

“Don’t let anyone smell you,” Kakashi repeated. “Spray that scent blocker liberally before you even _think_ of setting foot outside this apartment once your heat is done.”

The kid nodded, his face growing serious. “Thank you, ANBU-san.” He frowned slightly. “What can I call you?”

“Hound,” Kakashi answered, tapping his mask. “If you need anything once your heat is over, you can just ask for Hound. Word will get to me eventually.”

The kid wriggled a bit deeper in his nest, tugging one of the blankets up over his shoulders so that only his face was poking out of the fluffy pile. “Okay,” he said softly. “Nice to meet you, Hound-san. I’m Iruka. Umino Iruka.”

Kakashi nodded in response. “Nice to meet you,” he echoed. “Don’t forget there’s food in the fridge. Make sure you eat it.”

The kid - Iruka - wiggled deeper in his nest. “I will,” he said, but he really didn’t seem inclined to leave his nest anytime soon. Oh well. At least Kakashi had made him eat that bento earlier. 

“Be safe,” Kakashi cautioned. “I’ll see you around. Maybe.”

Iruka nodded from inside his nest. “I’ll be careful,” he promised.

Kakashi dearly hoped Iruka would be able to keep that promise.

**Author's Note:**

> Kakashi is really sweet when he's not too busy being awkward.  
> The next chapter will be picking up a few years later, I intend to have these chapters time-skip a fair amount, so please don't expect a continuation from here. :) Thanks for reading!


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